‘I’m motivated more than ever to spread the word’

One month ago, recent graduate Ewodaghe Harrell ’10 fell ill with severe complications from lupus. She is currently being treated in a hospital in Paris, France.

Harrell graduated last year with an interdepartmental major in political science and Chinese. While at Union, she was involved with Golub House, the Black Student Union, and TVUC, and worked as a senior intern for Admissions. In her senior year, she received the Rotary Club Endowed Prize for International Study.

Harrell was first diagnosed with lupus three years ago. Her illness became worse while she was living and working in Paris during her year off.

“She is one of the strongest women I know,” said Rachel Feingold ‘12, who is Harrell’s Little in Delta Delta Delta.

Harrell chose to share her story with the Union community to spread awareness about lupus. Lupus is a chronic, non-contagious autoimmune disease, and the Lupus Association of America estimates that at least 1.5 million Americans suffer from it. As it happens, May is National Lupus Awareness Month.

“The problem with lupus is that it is different for everyone, and there’s not a lot of research done on it,” said Harrell in a phone interview on May 3.

On Thursday and Friday during common lunch hour, professors Robert Hislope and Melinda Lawson will run a table in Reamer Campus Center, inviting students to write get well cards for Harrell.

To learn more about Harrel’s story, pick up next week’s edition of the Concordiensis.